Who will be responsible? The authentication and preservation of government digital information

Abstract

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to discuss the authentication and preservation of government digital information. The Government Printing Office (GPO) has been the official distributor of government information for 147 years and charged with assuring authenticity of all published government documents. Most federal information is now “born digital” and the GPO is evolving into an electronic information repository. Digital technology has made editing and altering documents easy, making authentication a prominent issue. Through the Federal Depository Library Program (FDLP), the federal depository libraries (FDLs) have been providing preservation and access to government information for almost 200 years. In its 2007 Annual Report, the GPO claims its planning on assigning the duties of authenticating and preserving electronic documents to the FDLs.Design/methodology/approachAreas discussed include the GPO and authentication, the FDLP, the depository libraries and preservation, policy and technological changes, and organizational change.FindingsThis paper argues that depository libraries are unprepared for this responsibility and recommends changes before the transition.Originality/valueThe changes could help make the transition successful and encourage continued collaboration between GPO and the depository libraries.